Blocked road drives some crazy

The road closure between Brown Chapel and Ryan Learning Center is necessary for safety, according to Director of Physical Plant richard Schult but it has some students complaining that it is an incovenience that could have been avoided. Photo by Bethany Leach

The road next to Ryan Library that runs from Caf Lane toward the commuter parking lot was closed in one direction last Tuesday due to the construction on Smee Hall.

Smee Hall is the future home of the School of Theology and Center for Pastoral Leadership.

The building is entering a period of heavy construction activity, making it necessary for the worksite to be expanded for the next several months “due to materials delivery and staging issues, as well as concerns for the safety of campus and community members,” said Richard Schult, director of Physical Plant and a key player in the decision to close the road.

In order to make the expansion possible, the road will remain closed until February 2008.

Schult, Public Safety and the university cabinet made the decision at the urging of Erickson-Hall Construction Company because the construction workers were running out of room to operate their machinery safely.

In an effort to accommodate campus traffic, the lane adjacent to Brown Chapel has been converted into a one-way road that will lead traffic toward the Commuter Parking Lot and the eastern and southern parts of campus. Vehicles that need to exit the campus from any of those locations will have to use the road that circles around the campus’ southern residence halls—Flex, Klassen, Hendricks and Young.

Signs have been posted throughout campus to help direct traffic and avoid confusion. These signs have been posted next to Brown Chapel, the commuter parking lot, Cabrillo Hall, Taylor Hall, Flex Housing and Physical Plant.

Students were informed about the road closure last Monday in an
e-mail sent by Dean of Students Brandon Hill on behalf of Schult.

Some students are frustrated by the road closure.

“It causes more traffic,” said sophomore Evelyn Escobar. “It doesn’t make sense that this is being done during the school year because it makes us late when we have to go all the way around.”

Schult said delaying the work on Smee Hall at this phase of construction to a time school is not in session, has more disadvantages than benefits.

“The longer we postpone it, the more it costs,” said Schult. “And the project will take longer than three months, so no matter what happens it would be extended into the school year.”
While some students are opposed to the road closure, others are more understanding of it.

Continuing construction during the school year “is a huge inconvenience,” said senior Joanna Rodriguez, “but they might as well finish what they started, and the roads must be closed in order to get the job done.”

The university acknowledges the inconvenience that closing the road poses for students but remains firm on its reasons for doing so.

“I recognize that these changes will result in some inconvenience for the next few months,” said Schult. “Our ultimate objective is to be able to build a new, much-needed building for the campus and to keep us all safe in the process.”

Schult believes the road closure is necessary and is no more than a minor inconvenience.

“This isn’t the first time we had to close that same road,” said Schult. “We had to close it in the summer during the early stages of construction to accommodate the equipment they needed to dig the trench, and it wasn’t a problem” to those living on campus during the summer.

Also, all parking spaces on the hill between Klassen Hall and Hendricks Hall have been converted to “compact only” parking spots in order to accommodate the large equipment and trucks sustaining construction activities, as well as to stay in compliance with city rules and regulations pertaining to road clearance for emergency vehicles.

The City of San Diego requires that there be 17 feet between the metal guardrail that runs along the hill and the parking spots next to Brown Chapel. This is in order to ensure that emergency vehicles can pass through in case of an emergency. When larger vehicles park there, however, there is only about 13 feet.

This new change, along with the current road closure, has raised concerns from students, faculty and staff, but Schult maintains that both of these developments are necessary for safety measures and in order to finish the project, which is expected to be completed by Aug. 20, 2008.

Schult urged students to exercise extra caution “whenever walking or driving near the construction site, or taking the detour to exit the campus” in his e-mail.